Art Under Saddle Horsemanship

27/05/2026

Having issues lifting the hind legs?
There could be more to it then behaviour or generic back/SI troubles …

What can happen as horses age

What we are looking at in the below photo is the femoral head ligament(accessory) this very important structure connects the hind leg into the hip socket. I observe it forms a sling that innervates onto the pelvis to the p***s symphysis which also forms the pre p***c tendon. This incredibly strong structure that supports the pelvis is prone to wear and tear particularly in sport horses, race horses and through geriatric degeneration.

The photo on the right was from a 28 year old horse that looked a picture of health from the outside but his movement had become stiff and guarded. Showing struggles to have his feet done and not wanting to give the hinds. The fermoral head ligament had been fully replaced by scar tissue and only a few tiny shreds remained attached to the head of the femur. The labrum(capsule) of the joint was thickened and full of synovitis. Unfortunately for this guy he had problems over many of his legs due to old age and so showed no notable lameness that would conclude the seriousness of what was going on inside. The comparison ligament is from a 4 year old standardbred.

Please be considerate with your oldies, better a week too early than a moment too late.

14/05/2026

Are classical trainers knowingly keeping information and techniques from you?
The short answer is no.

There is no secret method, no hidden technique that classical trainers only show to a few selected students. I think this is important to say, because lately I see the word ‘gatekeeping’ used a lot.

Of course gatekeeping exists in the horse world. It exists when people use tradition, titles, schools, or complicated language to make others feel small. It exists when honest questions are shut down instead of answered, when people are made to feel that they do not belong. And of course, that’s not helpful. But I also think we have to be careful not to confuse gatekeeping with having standards.

A good classical teacher will insist on a certain progression. This progression might differ a little from teacher to teacher, but the idea is usually the same: one thing prepares the next thing. Not because someone is keeping something from us. But because this is how training works.

If you look at the great riders and teachers, they practiced the basics for endless hours. Even the most talented ones. Mastery takes time, whether you learn the violin or how to ride a horse.

And I must admit I have to flinch with a lot of posts lately. Tension is not collection. Just because there are diagonal steps, it is not piaffe.
A horse that becomes tight, nervous, compressed, or loses the back is not necessarily becoming more advanced, even if we might have the feeling we do more advanced moves. Sometimes it is simply too much, too soon.

If your teacher does not introduce you to the more advanced work yet, it is very possible that you and your horse are not ready. This is not exclusion or someone keeping the real work from you. Most likely, it’s simply good horsemanship.

Advanced work should improve the horse. It should make the horse stronger, more balanced, more supple, more able to carry. It should not destroy the rhythm, the back, the trust, or the joy in the work. Yes, some humans and horses will plateau, even in a correct and thorough education. That’s normal. And sometimes we cannot go further than that. Either because of our own limitations or the horse’s. Usually, there is a good reason for it. And that’s okay. Not every horse has to do piaffe, not every rider has to school the highest exercises. Not every training journey has to lead to the same place.

But every horse deserves to be protected from being pushed into work the body and mind are not prepared for.

When someone says: this is not collection, the horse is tense, the back is dropped, the rhythm is lost, the horse is not ready, that is not automatically gatekeeping. Sometimes it is simply wanting to protect the horse.

For me, classical dressage needs standards. The answer is not to lower the standard and call everything collection. Rather, it is to teach the standard more clearly. A good teacher should be able to explain why the basics matter and what they are. Why an exercise shouldn’t be done yet. What the signs are that the horse is prepared or that the horse is struggling. That is very different from saying: you do not belong here.

I will teach you everything I know, as soon as it makes sense for you to know it and your horse is prepared enough.
And everything I know, I learned from my teachers. When it was time for me to learn it, they did not hold back. And still, many things had to be explained to me more than once. Some things I still don’t fully understand. Not because the knowledge is hidden. Not because I’m not part of some inner circle. But because my own understanding is still developing, and because some things can only really be understood through experience. And there is more to come, because I am not ready yet. That is also part of learning.

Sometimes we are not kept away from knowledge.
Sometimes we are still growing into the ability to understand it.

Please do not mistake the online space for what is going on in a good classical school.
None of my teachers speaks in a disrespectful way about other teachers. If I ask about their opinions, they will tell me, but always in a respectful way. Even if they do not agree. They will admit that there might be a time and place for a method they usually do not use.

There is cooperation between different classical schools. There is exchange and there are conversations. They often happen in person, not online, but that does not mean they don’t happen.

So no, I do not believe there is a secret classical method hidden behind closed doors. There are basics that need to be practiced again and again.
There is the humility of not being ready yet. And there is the responsibility to protect the horse while we learn.

Photo: Weto and I learning during an internship with Bent Branderup, 2022, by Céline Rieck Photography

06/05/2026

It’s a delicate balance - but we (all) need to be able to hit our threshold in order to build it.
Small increments of healthy stress is what breaks down our current and rebuilds to our evolved self.

WHEN HORSES EXPERIENCE TRAUMA IN POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT OR ‘CONSENT-BASED’ TRAINING PROGRAMS…

This is something I haven’t talked about yet, because it’s a sensitive subject.

A big part of my program involves rehabbing not just horses who’ve experienced trauma or flunked out of traditional programs, but those who’ve experienced trauma or flunked out of positive reinforcement or ‘consent-based’ training programs, as well.

Sometimes I share about these horses. Most times I don’t. Clients trust me to be kind when helping them and their horses, and also discreet.

As a former ‘purist’ positive reinforcement and consent-based trainer, I’m adamant about encouraging discussion about the limitations of these programs.

People often assume I criticize positive reinforcement only from my own experience with it, but my perspective is actual based on several dozen case studies from over the past 10 years…

Horses who’ve come in from all over the US, after becoming dangerous in the programs of not just owners or inexperienced positive reinforcement trainers, but big name trainers.

I can tell you, from both in-person and virtual training with clients from all over this world, this issue is EPIDEMIC, and NOT talked about.

Many positive reinforcement or consent-based trainers are selling or flunking horses out of their programs, or they or their clients end up outsourcing them to other trainers.

The biggest issue?

Bolting.

And this isn’t just limited to clicker training programs, but ‘horse-centric’ or ‘force-free’ or similarly labeled programs that aim to keep training ‘under threshold’ and ‘pressure-free.’

I don’t get attacked by those communities anymore, precisely because many of them know I know what’s going on behind the scenes. They know the horses they’ve failed come to me.

I still use positive reinforcement a ton in my program. I have friends who are wonderful clicker trainers who I respect immensely.

But as much as I love positive reinforcement, I love the horses more.

And I have a duty to them…
To set them up for success.

This is my plea…

PLEASE stop thinking tactile cues built via positive reinforcement are a substitute for real-world mental and emotional pressure.

They are not.

Please don’t gamble with this.

It’s not a matter of if, but when.

You get away with it until you don’t.

Horses are getting traumatized when they don’t understand how to navigate mental and physical pressure outside a very controlled setting.

This is NOT ok.

People are getting hurt. Horses are getting hurt.

Horses are having preventable traumatic one-time events that stay with them for life.

This is not just naive. This is NEGLIGENCE.

So PLEASE…

Practice steering and stopping and emergency stops with pressure, especially before you ride in the open.

Please practice canter in a controlled setting before you ride in the open.

Please don’t assume that just because a horse will follow a trail or another horse, you can actually physically steer them if you need to, unless you’ve practiced it as a skillset.

Please don’t assume that because you’ve developed a relationship in a controlled setting or are aiming to stay under threshold, that nothing can go wrong.

If you’re a trainer, please stop blaming the horses who flunk out of your programs, and please stop blaming those who handle them afterwards for ‘pushing them over threshold.’

Please prepare the horses you’re responsible for.

And especially…

Please stop taking the easy ones for granted.

Those are the ones who always end up the most underprepared, and the most traumatized or ‘problematic’ as a result.

BELOW:
Me and the amazing Ms Coco practicing our shoulder-in on the trail.

A great opportunity for us to practice our ‘emergency co-regulation’ for not IF, but WHEN we need it on our trail rides.

Another fabulous-minded Fell! ❤️

DISCLAIMER:
Communicating about these things can be tricky.
I just want people to understand, I still use positive reinforcement, I still recommend positive reinforcement.
Positive reinforcement doesn’t cause problems, necessarily, programs that force positive reinforcement as the only tool cause problems, specifically in this context of horses not being able to steer or stop.
Don’t be afraid to use positive reinforcement, but please keep you and your horses safe, and please feel like you have permission to use the right tool for the job in order to do so.

29/04/2026

How common these two polar opposites are compared to something in the middle of a more balanced foot is the scariest part.

As the owner, you can help your horse and the industry by:
- should train your eye
- (so you can) ask good questions
- keep track of credible answers
- note acceptable progression (evidence that the answers/approach actually has credibility will be based on if/how things are improving — or not. Every excuse in the world will come to cover the simple fact of not knowing any better or actually having the solution for the current dilemma more often than actual limitations)

— Just because it may be their career, doesn’t mean they are guaranteed to be thoroughly skilled/educated enough to do it well.

It’s important to remember the reality of an industry such as ours — where little accountability and a rather unregulated standard of practice, qualification and level of education to practice as *any* professional (besides a vet), lies plenty of variation in the actual quality, authenticity and expertise of the services you may be receiving.

Choose your farrier (*insert any other equine professional/service*) wisely.

Conformation- High–Low Heel Syndrome

High–low heel syndrome means one hoof is more upright and the other is flatter. It would indicate to me that the horse isn’t very straight in his body.

There are two main ways it develops:

1. Top-down from a restriction, imbalance, past injury or pain higher up causes the horse to load one limb differently. Over time, the hooves adapt. One becomes high, the other low as one foreleg is bearing more weight than the other. This isn’t a good sign for future soundness in that limb! As well as indicating there could still be problem further up in the horses body.

2. Bottom-up (from the feet) which is more common in young horses. Small differences in how the feet are loaded even from grazing habits, can lead to one hoof becoming upright and the other flatter. This then affects the whole body.

It becomes a cycle. Uneven loading cause more uneven hooves, which causes more uneven loading.

It needs addressing from both the feet AND the body.

The photo is a pretty severe difference and the upright foot looks more like a club foot. A club foot is more of a structural deformity on one limb. The deep digital flexor tendon will be shorter. Genetics can play a part in a club foot but the environment and management at a young age play a big part in how severe it becomes.

*This was the best computer generated photo I could find without pinching someone else’s photo, or asking to take a picture of someone’s horse! If you have a good photo of high- low heels please do add them to the comments*

17/04/2026

“It’s time to listen to them”

Because we really have no idea what’s going on inside when these things come up.

The sobering reality that is having the truth about your horse uncovered, after death.

My OTTB gelding, George, was an incredibly resilient horse.

He recovered from 2 slab fractures and a bone chip following his racing career, requiring surgery.

I followed the rehab protocol and chased the dream of taking him to the Thoroughbred Makeover, which seemed like the ultimate way to highlight my name as a trainer and lover of OTTBs.

He was young, just 4 years old, but industry norms helped me to feel I wasn’t pushing him too hard, though, in hindsight, I would never replicate what I asked of him.

We ended up making it to the Makeover, but not without struggle.

He would perpetually have issues picking up and holding his right canter lead.

I attributed this to his time at the racetrack and being unbalanced and many people validated this for me.

During our dressage test at the Thoroughbred Makeover, he picked up the wrong lead.

It was disappointing, frustrating. It had been prior in training too and such frustration led to me “drilling” him in training, working on what I viewed as a training issue and weakness.

But then, he died.

And in necropsy, the truth came out.

George was euthanized about 6 months after he had attended the Makeover, following a sudden onset of neurological issues.

We tried treating for EPM but about 12 days into the treatment, he suddenly worsened.

Emergency vet call in the middle of the night.

He was laying down in the mud and couldn’t get up.

My sweet youngster, Banksy, had stood like a sentry beside his fallen friend.

George was in the mud for long enough that he had pooped where he was.

Worse feeling ever.

I hope his buddy at least brought him some peace.

So, a month before his 5th birthday, my beautiful and sweet young gelding was put to rest.

In his necropsy, findings included degradation of his spinal tissues, brain swelling and other findings that explained the neurological issues and confirmed his body was damaged beyond repair. Euthanasia was the only option.

But, what it also uncovered was that he had OCD lesions in both stifles.

He didn’t pick up the leads intermittently because it hurt.

And still, he packed me around without resistance. He jumped. He travelled across the country to Kentucky.

He did what he was asked without protest and maintained the sweetest attitude you could imagine.

And I had been frustrated with him for it.

I had viewed it as a training issue.

George is one horse in an industry horses with the same issues and worse.

Don’t wait until a necropsy to have more grace for your horse.

Behavioural issues and bodily struggles need to be approached with the benefit of the doubt.

Not frustration or contempt.

Because while slowing down and delaying gratification may hurt your ego, it won’t break your hurt in the way that misinterpreting the communication of a beloved friend will.

Behaviour is communication, listen to it.

Most of the struggles our horses have are actually telling us a deeper story.

It’s time to listen to them.

27/10/2025

Destined for bad feet - courtesy of us.
Not necessarily their genetics…

26/10/2025

Don’t fit in, understand the why and find a new feel.
It’s a game changer.

Why the High Hands? 🙌

It’s a question I’m often asked; sometimes with curiosity, sometimes with a hint of scepticism: why do we ride with high hands in Philippe Karl's School of Légèreté UK?

In much of modern riding, “hands low” has come to mean “hands correct.” It’s what we’re all shown early on: elbows in, reins straight, hands held quietly above the withers. But correctness isn’t about appearance; it’s about effect.

When the hands are too low, the line of contact from the bit to the rider’s hand acts downward and backward. This puts pressure on the horse’s tongue and bars, which can cause discomfort and defensive tension. The tongue contracts, the jaw tightens, and the hyoid apparatus becomes restricted. The hyoid is a small but vital structure that connects the tongue to the rest of the body through a web of muscles and fascia reaching the poll, shoulder, sternum, and the hind end.

And when the hyoid is blocked, the effects ripple through the entire horse. You’ll often see shortened strides, stiffness through the poll and neck, difficulty stretching over the topline, and even restrictions in breathing freely. What began as a “low, steady hand” can quietly lead to tension and heaviness throughout the horse’s body.

By contrast, an elevated hand, soft, mobile, and never pulling, acts upward and forward. It relieves pressure on the tongue and bars, freeing the jaw and allowing the hyoid to move. This release encourages the horse to lift the base of the neck, rebalance, and carry itself in lightness.

In the French classical tradition, the hands aren’t there to hold the horse together; they’re there to educate the mouth and invite self-carriage. High hands are simply a moment in that conversation, a way to restore freedom, sensitivity, and balance before the hands naturally descend again. An elevated hand says “please” to the horse, requesting a shift in balance. A lowered hand says “thank you” to a horse that has found good balance and returns to a neutral, following action.

So when you see a rider with high hands, no need to think “get back to the riding school.” Look closer and you might well see a rider helping the horse find relaxation in its jaw, lightness in its shoulders, and softness through its whole body.

That’s why the high hands.

25/10/2025

“The difference between medicine and poison is the dose”

•Non-escalating pressure•

It doesn't exist.
It's a myth that's often used as a trendy marketing term.

Placing this expectation on modern horse owners to be more ethical through a theory that logically doesn't measure up to reality is a hefty price to pay, if you ask me.

All living creatures seek comfort within finding a balance of *everything*.
Such as the comfort between being too hot or too cold, hungry or stuffed, rested and exercised, and it only gets more nuanced from there.

This means that mere stagnation, in and of itself becomes "escalating pressure" every single time.

Any stagnation.
Even sitting down in the most comfortable chair becomes uncomfortable and even painful unless one shifts position.

That's escalating pressure experienced simply by being alive.

The soft, quiet, comfortable cues that are labeled as pressure free or non-escalating lack the fluctuating, cyclical, living feel that exists within the laws of life and horses.

Clicker theory attempted to avoid the topic all together, but that is an equivalent logical fallacy.

All it takes is to look around and FEEL, to know that it isn't the truth.

The horse-first-man-ship scene misslabeled abuse as escalating pressure.

And in our attempt to avoid that hell, the work became stagnant.

Our horses' bodies and minds exist in the discomfort equivalent to the "pins and needles" feeling from sitting cross legged too long, just because humans are afraid to flow and fluctuate (or escalate).

So that brings me to my main ideas for today.

1. Non-escalating pressure and feel do not coexist

2. Training without pressure all together is DEFINITELY not real. (Even and especially if food rewards are involved)

3. Living Feel is rhythmic and fluctuating

So let's think of escalating pressure as fluctuating pressure.

Of non-escalating pressure as the stagnant feel that it is.

And let's call cruelty, cruelty. Without dressing it into "escalating pressure".

Always remember that the difference between medicine and poison is the dose. Thank you for reading.

08/10/2025

Open your eyes to what’s really happening out there.

04/09/2025

Yes yes yes!
It’s all about balance 🤌🏼